Tractor-trailer construction.



E. R. GURNEY.

TRACTOR TRAILER CONSTRUCTION APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,1917.

1 ,296,655 Patented Mar. 11, 1919. Q

. IN V EN TOR. WITNESSES:

am BY fiw ggf? A TTORNEYS.

ravine 'nreumrnx, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, nssrcnon TO Knox MOTORS MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION. or YMAS'ISACHU- COMPANY, or SPRINGFIELD,

sn'rrs.

' T all whom it may concern: 'Be it known 'that I, ERVING' R. GUnNEY, a

citizen of theUnited States-of America, re-

. of a pleasure car or mobile so asto adapt the latter for drawing a second vehicle in which heavy loads may siding at Springfield, in the county of Hampd'en and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements [in- Tractor-Trailer Construction, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to an axle or traction,unit designed to replace the rearaxle light-commercial auto- I be carried.

'The present traction unit is based upon the construction shown and described in the patent to Martin, granted February 20, 1912,, j 'No. 1,018,248, but

i not intended as a device to motorize a vehicle in itself, aswjth the but as a unit embodying Martin structure and substi- Martin' machine,

axle and springs in an already existing automobile, and the front axle and springs of a whereby the desired tractor-- trailer -cornbination may be made mosteilidrawing a trailer;

' traction unit and the means ciently from already existing vehicles not by sprlngs originally intended for such combination.

To this end, the present invention has several features of novelty and utility which will appear from the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows an automobile provided with the traction unit and engaged as in partly 'in section, of the for connecting it to the automobile and trailer;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;. Fig. 4 is a view of one of the wheels of the traction unit showing spring and driving connections;

Fig. 5 is a lan view of the traction unit as shown in Flg. 2 with the trailer removed; and

- Fig. 6

Fig. 2 is a view,

isa detail view indicating the two shafts andthe associated internal gear drive mounted upon an axle 2,

of the unit construction.

*The traction unit consists of wheels 1, which is provided with any suitable means for receiving power from the tail shaft 3 of an automobile 4.

Specification of Letters Patent.

joined to the control rods. noted that the unit construction provided ac- TRACTOR-TRAILER cons'rnno'rron.

with differential.

Patented a. 11, 1919,

Application filed July 5, 917. Serial No. 178,699.

sTAtrEs PATENT oFFICE. A

and 6 car- I table 11 provided with a bearing plate 12 for the bearing plate or circle 13 of the trailer 14:. From-the circle 13 depends a.

king-pin 15, fitting freely within a hole 16 in platform 11. As't-he automobile 4 with the attached traction unit isdriven, the

:.;trailer 14 will be drawn by means of the king pin, while a swiveling action-is permittedto allow the vehicles to turn curves.

Springs 17 are attached to the housing 8 in a manner as to permit a slight motion relative thereto and carry at their other ends a cross-bar 18, here shown in the shape of a channel. Also attached to the housing 8 are torque arms19, pivoted at their upper ends to the cross-bar 18, by which the cross-bar is held in position, although allowed to yield 17. These springs 17 are made preferabl lighter than springs 9 for two reasons. First, as springs 9 carry the weight of the load in the trailer, they must be heavy, while the springs 17. carry only the weight of the rear of a light spring prevents the passage of vibrations to a greater extent than a heavy spring, and it is therefore desirable to make springs 17 light so as to keep vibrations from the wheelsl or from the load in the trailer away from the power plant.

. When it is desired to apply the traction unit to an automobile, the body of the latter behind the front seat, and the rear axle with all its connections are removed. The rear of theautomobile frame 20 is attached, as by bolts 21 to the cross-bar 18. Tail shaft tomobile,

the automobile 4:. Second,-

versal joint 22,- and thebrake mechanism is i It should be cording to one feature of the invention can be readily adjusted back and forth on frame 20 until it is inpositio'n to be connected to bile, the ratio is from three to five.

PIOVlSlOIl, no change s necessary 1n the authe mechanism of the automobile to advantage. The trailer is unprovided with axle and front wheels, the same having been removed and is jacked up until the complete tractor is backed under it when the king pin 15 is lowered into the hole 16. A locklng bar 23 may be provided to keep the king pin in position. Thus the unit has been most conveniently substituted for the rear axlev and parts of an already existing automobile and the front axle and parts of a trailer,

whereby the automobile as a tractor and a wagon as a trailer is most efiiciently combined for tractor-trailer use by the 'unit substituted for the pre-existmg parts of each.

As the ordinary automobile is designed to travel at higher speeds than that necessary or desirable for heavy loads, or to' state it another way, as the automobile engine must rotate at a fairly high number of revolutions per minute, it is desirable that the internal gears hereinbefore mentioned should be so proportioned as to give 'a relatively large number of engine revolutions (say eight) for In the ordinary automo- By this one of the wheels.

tomobile to give a sufiiciently high engine speed other than the substitution of the tracheavy load, into tractors of great commercial utility.

What I claim i 1. A traction unit having in combination an axle, driving wheels connected therewith,

a lurality of sprin s on the axle, some of W ich are more resi lent than others, a fifth wheel device supported by the springs of least resiliency, and attaching means connected to the springs of eatest resiliency, the unit being constructef and arranged for attachment to' existing motor vehicles by substituting the one unit for the rear axle and springs of an automobile and the front axle'and springs of a trailer vehicle, and an internal gear drive mechanism on the axle to connect the driving wheels with the motor, whereby a tractor-trailer combination may be made by the-substitutions stated, said mechanism designed to render the combination suitable for hauling heavy loads when connected to'a motor originally designedfor pleasurevehicles.

. 2. A traction unit adapted to replace the rear axle of an existing automobile, comprising, anaxle, driving wheels connected'therewith, springs on the axle, a fifth wheel device supported by said springs, other springs of greater resiliency than the first-named springs and connected to said axle, a crossbar to the ends. of which the last-named springs arev fixedly connected, and torque arms connecting said axle and cross-bar, the

latter being adapted for attachment'to the frame of an automobile after its rear axle has been removed, and driving means adapted to connect said wheels to the power plant of the automobile.

' ERVING R. GURNEY. 

